The chief executive officer of Japan’s SoftBank Group has admitted to being a “heavy user” of OpenAI’s ChatGPT generative artificial intelligence (AI) platform.

ChatGPT, which has significant backing from Microsoft, has exploded into the mainstream over the past year and earlier this year set a record for fastest-growing user base. The application reached 173 million users in April.

At a shareholder’s conference, Softbank chief exec Masayoshi Son said that he is one of those users, and said that he is “chatting with ChatGPT everyday”.

The Softbank boss also said that he is speaking “almost everyday” to Sam Altman, the chief exec of OpenAI who made several visits to Tokyo earlier this year and is looking to capitalise on growing interest in generative AI.

Son, who has long been an advocate for AI and has cited the technology as the driving force behind his investing activity, will speak at SoftBank’s annual general meeting on Wednesday. The company is expected to talk more about the planned US listing of Cambridge-based chipmaker Arm later this year, with the listing aiming to raise up to $10 billion.

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